Getting to Know PSP
Created by: Charith

Welcome to PSPUG's online Beginner Classes. In these classes, we will learn how to use PSP 5, 6 and 7 and most of their functions. By the end you will know just about all you need to do any tutorial on the net, and even explore more confidently on your own! The first couple of sessions will be mostly instructional.

In this lesson we will be learning about the layout of PSP when you first open it with no open image and then the changes it displays when you do open an image.

Please Note: All images for these tutorials have been reduced in size and modified in looks wherever possible. So what you see here may look slightly different in arrangement.

Open your PSP...
When you first start up Paint Shop Pro, it will open up in a window just like any other application you open.
These are the different sections that make up the PSP main window:

1. TITLE BAR: The Title bar is the first thing we will cover. When you first open PSP (with no image open), all you will see here is the title "Paint Shop Pro".

If you create a new image (unsaved), the title bar will display "Paint Shop Pro - [Image1* (1:1)(Background)]".

Breaking it down:

Paint Shop Pro - Name of program
[Image1 - Name of image
(1:1) - Zoom ratio
(Background)] - Name of active layer

If you save the image or open an existing image, then the title bar will display "Paint Shop Pro - [filename.ext* (1:1)(Background)]".
Please note that the text after "Paint Shop Pro -" will change depending on what you are doing.

2. MENU BAR: This is directly under the Title bar. With no image open, the only selections are: File, Edit, View, Capture and Help.

When you create a new image or open an image, you will have access to the complete menu options.

Each one of the selections have a menu of their own. The Menu Bar contains several selections which change depending on whether or not you have a graphic open in PSP.

While in version 7 with no image open, the only menu choices are: File, Edit, View and Help.

As with version 5 and 6, you will have access to the complete menu options. Version 7 has extra options called Effects and Objects, but Capture is no longer a menu of its own.

3. TOOL BAR: This provides buttons that access some of the frequently used commands in the menus and is directly under the Menu bar.

It has buttons for New, Open, Save, Print, etc. There is no difference between version 5 and 6 in this tool bar.

While in version 7, it is identical except for one extra button called Start Capture and a new button called Toggle Overview Window.

You can customize this bar by taking out anything you know you will never use and add buttons for stuff that you think you will use all the time.

Of course, you can change your mind any time you like ;).

When you do not have an image open, only buttons that do not apply directly to images (like New, Open, Paste and Palette controls) will be availble.

When you do have an image open all but the undo and redo buttons will be available until you edit the image.

4. TOOL PALETTE: This tool palette is on the far left of your screen. When you first open PSP with no image, none of these tools are available. Then when you create a new image or open an image, all of the tools become available.

The Tool Palette contains the following image-editing tools:

Arrow tool
Zoom tool
Deform Tool
Crop Tool
Mover Tool
Selection Tools
Painting and Drawing Tools

Version 6 is the same as version 5 except it came out with an extra tool button called Vector Object Selection and the Line tool was renamed to Draw and the Shapes tool was renamed to Preset Shapes. Both of which can do more than than their version 5 predecessor.

While in version 7 is the same as version 6, except it came out with an extra tool button called Scratch Remover.

When you do click on a tool button, the Control palette displays its options which you can change the settings of to suit your current needs.

At this point, we will not go into each menu, tool choice and functions, since there are so many. It would only be a bit overwhelming and confusing for you at this stage. As you work through certain tasks, we will get into each tool and the options they provide.

5. COLOR PALETTE: In versions 5 and 6 of PSP, this is identical.

If you place your mouse in the rainbow section, you will see the grey box with the X in it change and the RGB display numbers. These numbers represent the colour.

If you single left click a colour in the rainbow section, you have just selected the foreground colour.

If you single right click a colour in the rainbow section, you have just selected the background colour.

This rainbow section is identical in all versions of PSP.

The two squares of colours between the rainbow section and the RGB section are your foreground (top sqaure) and background (bottom square) colours.

The double arrowed line allows you to swap the foreground and background colours when you click on it.

In version 7 some parts of the color palette are identical to versions 5 and 6. Version 7 has added features as well.

The two colour boxes above the rainbow section are your foreground and background colours. The arrow between them allows you to swap them around.

The two boxes immediately under the rainbow section is the Styles. Here is where you select the painting method of:

Paint
Gradient
Pattern
Null

You can set this individually for the foreground and background colours.

The two boxes directly under the Styles are for Textures. Again, you can set this individually for the foreground and backgound with either a texture or no texture (Null).

The check box directly under the Textures is called Lock.

If it is checked, then what you set for your foreground and background will be applied with every tool you use.

If it is not checked, then any settings you applied to any of the tools previously will reapply themselves when you select that tool again.

6. WORKSPACE: The workspace is the big blank area in PSP (colour will depend on what desktop theme/colouration you are using).

When you create a new image or open an image, it will sit in this area in a non-maximised state.

Depending on the size of the image and what zoom range you are viewing the image at will depend on how much of the blank workspace will still be seen.

If you maximise your open image, the actual image will sit in the middle and that blank workspace will become a grey lattice work over a white area.

Again, the amount of lattice work workspace seen will depend on the size of the image and what zoom range you are viewing the image at.

7. STATUS BAR: This is located at the bottom of the Main Window.

The Status bar displays information about images, features, and procedures depending on which tool or feature you have selected.

When none are selected and there is no image open, then all you will see is "For Help, press F1" on the left and "Image: None" on the right.

Once you have created a new image or open an image and the mouse is not on that image or on any of the tool buttons or options then this is what you will see:

"Image: 200 x 16 x 16 Million - 9.4 KBytes"

Translated: "Image: width x height x by colour palette - size of image.

Now, place your mouse over the Arrow tool and look at the status bar. See how it has changed?

Now click it and slowly run your mouse over the open image. See how it has changed again? Now you are seeing coordinates.

The first set of numbers is the width and the second set of numbers are the height. These will continue to change as you move your mouse around the image.

8. CONTROLS v5: When you select a tool, you go here to change settings to suit what you are trying to do.

The tabs will change depending on the tool you select.

TOOL OPTIONS v6: This is the same as version 5 but with a different name.

In version 6, the tabs show pictures instead of text like version 5.

TOOL OPTIONS v7: This is named the same as version 6 but the Styles and Textures in the Color palette now controls some of the selections that Controls palette (v5) and Tool Options palette (v6) used to control.

9. LAYER PALETTE: These are computer versions of plastic transparent sheets like one would use in cell animation or over head projectors.

Version 5 layer palette is different to the layer palette in versions 6 and 7. However,the layer palette in versions 6 and 7 look identical.

The layer palette is blank when there is no image open. When you do open an image then options in the palette become available.

While you have an image open, you can single right click the name of that layer and you will receive menu options.

The glasses on the right of the layer name is a toggle switch to show/hide that layer. This option will work if you promote a flat image (Layer usually called Background) to a layer (name then changes to Layer1) and when you have multiple layers in the image.

If you add a second layer, the section with the 100 (% Opacity) and Normal (Layer Blend Mode) will become available.

Well that is it for this lesson. We hope you have a better understanding of the layout of your PSP.

Next week, we will go briefly into Graphic Formats. Hope to see you there ; ).